• Diplomjodler@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Why do people always get so upset about spaceflight? There are plenty of other things the oligarchs can be legitimately criticised for yet people always obsess about this.

    • Mordex@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I think this comic might be suggesting that they’re leaving the planet since it’s all used up and the worker is sitting there with nothing left on the planet as the rich flys off to another planet? I don’t think it’s specifically angry at space flight.

    • _pi@lemmy.ml
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      3 days ago

      Because it’s become obvious to many people that these problems of climate and class-based wealth accumulation, cannot techohopiumed out of. Space exploration did lead do useful technology and scientific advancement, but in our current era our relationship to space is no longer star trek, it’s snowpiercer in space. The average person no longer has a positive view because they are crushed under a capitalist class that seeks to leave them behind, hence the comic.

      • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Not to mention that any and all new research isn’t coming out of these companies, and is locked behind a paywall. They are actively stifling innovation by hoarding the data that used to give us neat things like Velcro.

      • tee9000@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Spaceflight is really important to humanity. Mining resources and proving concepts should be done. Having it carried out by corporations isnt ideal but thay doesnt mean it is better to stop. Let them burn their cash on r&d. Space is really high risk with inconsistent profitability.

        • _pi@lemmy.ml
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          2 days ago

          If you think corporations are going to outlay the capital to develop a realistic extra-planetary mining technology soup to nuts and in comparable time to public investment, you should be licking Elon Musk’s boots.

          Let them burn their cash on r&d

          Damn if only we could use that cash for something else.

          • tee9000@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            You cant mine without reliable spaceflight, which is whats being proven now. Obviously spacex’s cash would not be used to buy everyone dinner if they stopped spaceflight operations, so im not sure how your take is in the realm of reality. If you want to attribute spacex’s work to elon alone then thats your business.

            • _pi@lemmy.ml
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              2 days ago

              You cant mine without reliable spaceflight, which is whats being proven now.

              The following interplanetary flights to Mars: Sojourner (1997), Spirit (2004–2010), Opportunity (2004–2018), Curiosity (2012–present), Perseverance (2021-Present), and Zhurong (2021-2022) weren’t enough to “prove out reliable space flight” for you?

              You need MarsCoin to do it?

              • lad@programming.dev
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                2 days ago

                I would argue that you mentioned events that were rare and much prepared (also omit failed attempts), while what is required for any resource extraction must be mass-available. On the other hand, I don’t think any space resource mining will be reasonable, as I expect it to require more resources than provide.

              • tee9000@lemmy.world
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                2 days ago

                There have also been failures at a rate that would make human space flight concerning. Why wouldnt more experience be better? You are saying we didnt learn anything about space flight with each mission?

                I dont know what mars coin is. Why do you generalize my appreciation for spaceflight to other unrelated opinions? Im not a group of people, im an individual who you know nothing about. Stop with the weird guessing of my beliefs.

        • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          We’re not mining anything in space anytime soon. The climate crisis will end that possibility long before we can develop automated systems sufficient to get the mechanics in place and ore safely back to wherever it’s needed on Earth.

          Right now spaceflight is just another profit vehicle for billionaires. The don’t get paid because of the work the companies do, they get paid because the stocks they have from those companies keep going up.